The Golden Serpent
by LauraUriex
Summary: AU in which Harry is not the chosen one, his parents are still alive because Voldemort was defeated by Albus Dumbledore . His family, the Potters, have an ongoing rivalry with the Malfoys, whose son, Draco, is the worst kind of git you will ever meet. Harry, on the other hand, is as kind as can be, but fate chooses to have their destinies meet. Rated M for future chapters.
1. The Malfoys and The Potters

_**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. All the characters are created and owned by J.K. Rowling, and I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of Harry Potter. The story I tell here is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of J.K. Rowling's story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line.**_

* * *

Draco's house was too big for him and his parents, he always thought.

He always wanted a little brother or sister with whom he could have shared his life and his enormous bedroom with his enormous king size bed. He would often find himself staring at the ceiling for hours as there was nothing for him to do.

His days consisted of him taking private lessons from "The most skilled pureblood witch that there was." According to his father, at least.

She was a tall woman in her forties, with blonde hair and blue eyes, pale skin and always wore puce colored gowns. There was nothing about her that made her seem like someone fun to be around as she was always serious- Draco could have sworn that he had never seen her laugh or smile.

The only good thing about her was her perfume, it smelled like jasmines, the same kind of flowers that grew in his mother's garden. Her lessons were always boring and they seemed to last a lifetime.

When they were finally over he would spend a good amount of his day doing his homework - at least it was better than staring at the ceiling.

It was only at dinner time that he saw his parents, Lucius and Narcissa. It wasn't his favorite part of the day - the three members of his family sat at a very long table that could have been used by at least twenty people, while multiple house elves ran around frantically in order to get everything perfect for them. Draco saw fear in their eyes as they lay the plates for his father, with trembling hands and held breaths. He didn't blame them, honestly.

His father would talk about his day at work at the Ministry of Magic while his mother would listen quietly, glancing at their son from time to time. They were not allowed to interrupt his speech bwfore he finished it, otherwise they would suffer terrible consequences - Lucius wasn't exactly kind and he was very, very controlling.

The kid feared his father so much that he had the same reaction as the elves whenever he was around them, but at the same time he admired him. He thought he was a successful man but he wouldn't dare ask him how he would reach so many goals. He was also very hateful towards muggle born wizards and witches and believed them to be scum.

"They steal our money and they are filthy" He would say, "They should all be exterminated."

Of course, someone who was born with powers in a muggle family did not deserve to be in the same world as them- they were simply not as worthy as they were.

What could Draco do if not hate them as well?

There was a particular family at work that his father hated so much, Aurors James and Lily Potter. James was pureblood but he was a "blood traitor" as he had married mudblood Lily Potter.

The Potters hated him as strongly as he did them, a mutual hatred that had been going on since Hogwarts days. They had a son, Harry, who, like Draco, was an only child.

If Draco's Family life was characterized by fear and unaffectionate manners. Harry's was quite the opposite. His parents loved each other and their son in a powerful way and always contributed to making his life fun and always gave him a warm feeling inside.

Being an only child wasn't so bad, if his parents weren't at home, he was either at school, a muggle school in which he had many friends, or playing in the garden with family friends or the children of neighbors. He was never alone.

His parents would often talk about the vile and cruel Malfoy from work and how much they hated him. " He can't go a full day without calling me a mudblood!" Lily would say. " He's a nightmare!"

Mr Malfoy had once threatened to burn their house down.

* * *

Draco and Harry couldn't be more different if they tried and although they had never met, their parents told them never to make friends with the other. Harry thought to himself that he could never be friends with someone coming from a family who was mean to his parents, even if they hadn't told him to avoid him.

Draco, too, promised his dad he would never come close to a "filthy little sack of manure" at any time. Not that he could contradict Lucius, even if he had wanted to. Talking back to his father, or even having ideas that didn't match his, was a good way to get himself a beating.

Of course, he loved his parents, especially his mom, but his family life was never happy. He didn't remember ever seeing his mother smile.

Draco could say he got bored a lot in his house, through Madam D'Ogster's lessons and almost silent dinners. His favorite pastime in the Malfoy Manor was bullying the elves. He found it so hilarious to see them tripping over his legs or running to get something he had taken from them - and they always said sorry for it.

Harry's favorite pastime, on the other hand was playing with his friends. His muggle friends had no idea where he lived, so he was always the one to go to their houses. While his wizard friends spent hours in his garden. Sometimes they even stayed for dinner or sleep over. His muggle best friend was a small girl with bushy hair, called Hermione Granger, while his favorite wizard family was the Weasleys. Arthur Weasley, the father, was a colleague of his parents and over the year he had become their absolute best friend, along with his wife, which meant that they were constantly in each other's houses. They had a son about Harry's age, Ron, and Harry had considered him a brother ever since he could remember, so he was hoping to be in the same house as him at Hogwarts.

The boys were inseparable. He was also fond of his brothers and his sister, the only one in the family that he found a bit annoying was Percy, Ron's 15 year old brother who was obsessed with rules and Harry didn't love rules. Towards the beginning of August of that year, when Draco had been 11 for two months, there was a hint of excitement in the Malfoy household.

"In less than a month you will be drifting off to Hogwarts, my son." Said Lucius one day at dinner "I remember going there as if it were yesterday. Obviously I don't think the school is that great, but I suppose a private school would be too far away from home." The blonde haired man said before sipping a definitely expensive glass of wine.

"Just stay away from the wrong sort of friends and it will be a delight. Stay close to Crabbe and Goyle and make as many high class friends as you can. Oh and naturally, I'm sure you will make it in Slytherin."

Draco's face turned into a smile at the mention of Slytherin, as Lucius had always told him how great the house was, not to mention the house of the most powerful wizards of all time.

"If you don't, I will have a word with the Headmaster myself. And Draco, I expect you to get the best grades in everything. Do not disappoint me." Draco surely didn't want to disappoint him, although he knew he had to work hard to get that achievement.

The boy was certainly excited to go to Diagon Alley to go shopping for the things he needed for Hogwarts as it was a rare occasion to get out of that house. His father was accompanying him so he couldn't be as hyper as he'd hoped to be.

Harry and Ron had been accompanied by Arthur and were running around carefree. They were amazed by all the things they saw in Diagon Alley. Their first stop was Olivander's to get their wands. Draco saw them from outside, he saw these two boys laughing and excitedly looking around.

He wondered what it was like to actually have friends. Sure, he had Crabbe and Goyle, but it wasn't much of a friendship since they were in a way afraid of him and his family. And besides, he rarely saw them.


	2. The Day They Met

Draco went into Olivander's shop alone, as his father had gone to run some errands on his own.  
The boys he had seen minutes before were now running around just outside the store, flicking their new wands at random objects.  
He couldn't help watching them in awe from the window.  
He wondered if he should have gone up to them and started a conversation.  
He wasn't exactly good at talking to people, not when his only company was usually his house elves.  
After getting his own wand, little Malfoy decided to man up and try to talk to them.  
He opened the door, then closed it back behind him as he left the shop.  
One of them, a black haired boy, seemed to capture Draco's attention more than the other one, a freckled redhead.  
There was something about him that he found rather intriguing. Maybe it was his eyes, they were incredibly bright and their intense green tone was outstandingly beautiful.  
He hadn't noticed that he had been staring for a while, his mouth dropped, so when the mysterious boy came up to him and said "Are you alright?" Draco's pale face became so red that anyone would have noticed from miles away.  
"Oh.. um.. yeah, I was just... looking for my father. See, I've just got my wand."  
The pale boy awkwardly responded, proudly showing off his new purchase.  
He wasn't sure the other boys would have bought it, so he hoped they wouldn't get weirded out.  
The emerald green eyed boy flashed him a wide smile.  
"Oh, my friend and I got ours, too! These things are so cool! Finally, I get to have my own!" He said excitedly, waving his wand around a bit.  
His friend wasn't much of a talker, Draco observed. Must have been the shy type.  
"I'm Draco, by the way. I suppose you're both going to Hogwarts?" The blond boy asked, after finally introducing himself. He felt a bit stupid for asking them that question.  
Why else could they have gone there if not to buy their supplies for Hogwarts.  
The black haired boy nodded. "Yeah. Name's Harry, and this one here is Ron." Harry said, pushing his friend forward.  
Ron awkwardly waved his hand.  
"Nice to meet you Draco." The redhead managed to say in a quiet tone.  
"So what house are you hoping to get into?" Draco asked, trying to break the ice with the two friends.  
"Gryffindor." Harry and Ron said in unison, both smiling proudly.  
Draco suppressed a grimace.  
His father had told him all the worst things about that house.  
He had said that Gryffindors were weak, Slytherin wannabes who would spend their time in Hogwarts trying to get all the attention they could. Playing the heroes of random situations was their favorite pastime, it seemed.  
"You?" Harry asked, interested.  
"Slytherin. All my family members used to be in Slytherin, so I'm aspiring to follow in their footsteps." Draco responded. Ron gave Harry a look.  
Harry noticed that his friend was starting to feel a bit uneasy.  
It was probably because of what he had just heard.  
They had been told that Slytherins were horrible people who would mostly end up as ruthless criminals.  
Lucius Malfoy had been one, for example, and their parents surely didn't describe him as a kind man.  
"Cool." Harry simply said.  
This difference, though, didn't put them off.  
The three boys ended up going to Florian Fortescue's ice cream parlour to try his famous Butterbeer cup.

Ron even opened up to Draco and the three of them began forming a bond.

When you're eleven years old, making friends is not the hardest task.

They chatted about how excited they were to start school in Hogwarts.

Ron's brothers had all told him that those seven years would have been the best years of his life, so he had started counting down the days to the first day of school.

Draco saw it as a much needed break from the monotony of his own house and the constant fear of his father.

He had never tasted anything similar to the ice cream he had just put in his mouth, it was sweeter than fruit, the only sugary thing his parents had allowed him to eat.

Ron and Harry were definitely fun, much better than Crabbe and Goyle.

They were also pretty quirky.

He watched, amused, as the two of them ate their icy treat as if they were dogs.

He found himself hoping that they wouldn't be mudbloods, or his father never would have let them be friends with him.

Having them in Slytherin wouldn't have been awful, either.

The two best friends seemed to find Draco, entertaining, too.

They had never had house elves or been home-schooled by a powerful witch, so they were visibly interested in his house events.

"Are elves always obeying you? Even if you ask them to tap dance on the table?" Harry asked, curious.

Draco nodded, while swallowing a spoonful of ice cream. "They're the only way I can have fun in my house, really. It gets lonely sometimes." he replied.

Harry looked a bit thoughtful. He couldn't imagine spending all those hours alone, without his parents or his friends, or even his school teachers.

He felt a bit bad for the poor creatures, though. He really considered himself lucky that he wasn't a house elf.

"You said you're only child, right?" Ron asked.

"Yeah. Wish I wasn't though. I forgot how many times I begged my parents to make me a little brother or sister." The grey eyed boy informed. He had never said anything so personal to anyone else in his life before, not even his so called 'friends'.

"Oh, trust me, it's not all fun and games. I have six siblings. It gets crazy, most of the time." Ron chuckled. "And, also, the attention is divided by seven, so I hardly get any."

Draco was amazed by that information. Seven children in one house? That would have been messy, but, probably they would have fit in his gigantic home.

The divided attention bit, though, made him glad that he was an only child.

He rarely got any attention from his parents, him being their only son, imagine being one of seven.

Just when Draco felt that he was, maybe, becoming friends with the other two, a loud 'thud' broke his trance.

It was his father's walking stick, which had just hit on his chair.

Ron and Harry both jumped back, startled.

Draco froze in horror, then he turned around slowly, fear in his eyes upon seeing his dad.

"Draco Malfoy, where in the world have you been? Didn't I tell you to wait for me outside the wand shop?"The man spat, looking furious."Why must you always be so disobeying?"

 _Malfoy_. The word resounded in Harry's mind. It was the name of the colleague of his parents whom they felt so much hatred for. Could Draco have been the 'kid from hell' that his parents wanted him to stay away from?

The man right beside him matched the description of the terrible Lucius, too.

"Sorry, father..." The blond boy murmured, looking down in shame.

"Ah," said Mr Malfoy, noticing the presence of two other children. "I see you've got company." he smiled with his mouth closed. "May I ask who your new friends are?"

Just as he asked, a worried Arthur Weasley came running to their table.

"Lucius, what on Earth are you doing around my son? I thought we agreed on leaving our children out of this." Mr Weasley said, putting two protective hands on both his son and Harry's shoulders.

Harry's theory had just been confirmed.

Lucius Malfoy quirked an eyebrow and slightly opened his mouth. "Your _son?_ I should have seen the resemblance there. Same carrot cake hair."

"Just stay away from my son and Lily and James'."Arthur glared at him intensely.

"You keep those filthy creatures away from my child." Lucius replied in kind, then he addressed his son. "Draco, you're seriously hanging out with a blood traitor and a son of a mudblood? I consider myself extremely disappointed in your socialising choices." He growled, along with a disgusted expression painted on his face.

Oh, no, those two kids belonged to two of his father's most detested categories.

"I didn't know that..." Draco defended himself.

"Let's go, immediately." Lucius said sternly. He then proceeded to grab his son by his hair, forcing him to get up.

Arthur urged the remaining boys to follow him and leave, although he wasn't as aggressive.

Draco winced in pain for the whole time that his hair was in his father's grasp.

When he finally let it go, Lucius pushed him forward abruptly with his stick.

"Draco, you listen to me now. You better not fraternize with those two... pieces of scum. When you go to school with them, either ignore them or make his life unlivable. You understand? If I get informed of the contrary, I tell you, you won't simply get away with a hairpulling." The father threatened in an almost shout.

Draco could only nod in response.

He kept looking over his shoulders as he walked, though, and Harry and his friend seemed to do the same.

"What were you thinking? Eating _ice cream_ with _Malfoy's son_?" Mr Weasley reprimanded in a rage.

"We had no idea, he didn't mention-" Ron tried to explain, only to be cut off.

"I don't care. You are not to befriend him, his family is dangerous. Not only did they threaten James and Lily to set their house ablaze, but also, he was on The Dark Lord's side in the war that took place around ten years ago." Arthur explained, still livid with anger. "When your parents will find out about this, they surely won't be happy, Harry."

Harry didn't want his parents learn about that, but Arthur Weasley would have totally told them about that. He would always let them know whenever he did something he shouldn't have done.

Also, he couldn't help feeling somewhat betrayed by the blond boy.

He thought he had met someone cool that he couldn't wait to for a friendship with in Hogwarts, only to discover that he was the son of a horrible person who had probably even killed people throughout his life.

Just as it had been predicted, his parents scolded him at home.

"We explicitly told you not to make friends with that man's child." James told him, once they were all the dinner table.

"I told you, dad, I didn't know that he was his son! He didn't say his last name!" Harry argued.

"We told you that his name was Draco, though." Lily added.

Harry thought about it. He didn't recall the moment they had told him, he had probably been distracted. It happened to him quite often.

"Well, I think I'd forgotten..." the boy muttered.

"Harry, dear, we're just looking out for you. If that boy lives with his father's influence, you are not to engage in pursuing a friendship with him. He's surely vile." His mother said, lowering her voice. She took one of his hands in hers and caressed it softly.

"So, when you go to Hogwarts, stay close to Ron and his brother, OK?" His father indicated.

Harry nodded his head, sighing.

His mum and dad ended up grounding him for a week, only because he had bought ice cream with that pallid faced boy.

He knew that they were worried about him, but felt it was a bit to excessive to punish him for something so innocent.

However, he didn't want to disappoint them further, so he decided to follow their instructions.

At the Malfoy manor, Draco was lucky that his father had spared him a beating even if he was still heavily infuriated by his actions. What saved him was the fact that he had not known about the boys' provenience.

As he lay in his bed, that night, the young boy promised himself that he would have done anything to make Harry and Ron's time at Hogwarts impossible to endure.

It was the only way he could forgive himself for letting his old man down in such a way.

* * *

On the first day of September, Harry, Ron and Draco stepped foot into the immense castle for their first time ever.

Before the House Assignment ceremony had the chance to start, the blond boy, sided by his 'henchmen', swept his leg forward so that Harry, Ron and their new friend would trip.

Said friend was a very unpleasant, as well as muggle-born, girl.

On the train ride from King's Cross to Hogwarts, Harry had spotted a girl who he'd felt looked very familiar...

Not much later it had hit him, it was none other than his muggle best friend, Hermione Granger.

He had even cleaned his glasses multiple times, thinking that maybe he had been wrong.

When Hermione had seen him she had been shocked, to say the least.

"Harry? You're a wizard too?" She'd asked, her hands covering her mouth, her eyes widened. "It's all coming back to me now! That's why I could never visit your house!" She had giggled.

Harry glared at Draco intensely, once he found his balance again.

He would have hated that boy with a burning fire.

Unsurprisingly, the now git was sorted into Slytherin, while Harry and his two best friends went in Gryffindor, where the rest of the Weasleys welcomed them with open arms.


	3. Blue

As the years went by, Harry and Draco's relationship became characterised by a mutual hatred and disdain, just like their rival families had wanted.  
The Slytherin's bullying was unbearable, he would never miss a chance to hex the Gryffindor and his friends, he even attempted to sabotage their school careers in order to have them expelled.  
Every year it would get worse, until their sixth one, when Harry felt he'd finally had enough.  
It had happened one morning during potions.  
That class was the git's favourite, he always excelled in brewing the finest mixtures.  
Perhaps - and this was merely a supposition of Harry's- that could have been due to him being the teacher's pet.  
Severus Snape was very fond of Draco and his family.  
They had been allies in the war, when it had ended, though, they had both switched to the light side.  
Harry felt that it was an excuse, or that they were cowards.  
Professor Snape, also, hated him, for some reason that the green eyed boy couldn't quite put his finger on.  
That day, Malfoy thought it would be cool to insult Harry's family for the gazillionth time.  
That time it was unlike any. Draco had hinted that, since Harry was Professor Dumbledore's favourite, his mother had somehow 'done the Headmaster a particular favour'.  
 _That's it_ , the Potter boy thought.  
He lifted his heavy cauldron and walked towards where his enemy was standing.  
Without a second thought, before the blond boy turned around to notice, Harry poured the content of the pot all over his head.  
Draco was suddenly drenched in a warm blue liquid. He had swallowed part of the substance, as he'd dropped his jaw open in shock.  
There was a moment of silence, then the whole of the class exploded in a sound laugh.  
Even Crabbe and Goyle did, earning a slap from their 'master', which resulted in them being splashed with the potion.  
The only serious ones were the 'victim' and the professor.  
"Potter!" The teacher yelled furiously as he folded his coat.  
He rushed to the 'crime scene' and grabbed Harry's wrist.  
"What in the devil is going on in your head? You've just bought yourself detention. And, of course, twenty five points from Gryffindor." He spat.  
Even if Draco was covered in blue goo, he still managed to snigger.  
Snape turned to him abruptly.  
"Mr Malfoy, don't think I'll let you go this easy. Your remark was a serious offence towards Potter's mother. I can't have one of my house members act in this deplorable manner. Therefore, you're getting detention, too."  
Draco's mouth opened even lower than it had before. He couldn't believe it, Professor Snape punishing him over talking about someone's mum?  
That had never happened before.  
It was Harry's turn to smirk now.

* * *

Draco spent an hour in the shower, trying to wash the potion off his body. Thank Merlin, that was the Draught Of Peace, which was meant to relieve anxiety and stress.  
So, once it kicked in, he felt a lot more relaxed.  
However, the blue didn't fade from his hair, not at all.  
It had stained it, almost like a dye.  
Had it not been for the calming potion he had just drunk, the blond - now blue haired - boy would have bent the shower head, at least.  
Deep inside him, though, he felt he had deserved what he'd got.  
After all, he had accused Harry's mother of being sexually involved with Dumbledore.  
He hadn't really thought that, he had just said it to annoy Potter.  
He did it so his father would be proud of him.  
Once he was back into his dorm, getting ready to face detention with his foe, he tried to use a spell to turn his hair back to its naturally platinum shade.  
He tried every colour changing charm he knew, but none of them seemed to work - the draught Harry had produced was too strong.  
Maybe the only way was to shave it completely, but he didn't have much time.  
He had to get to Snape's office early if he didn't want him to remove a ton of points from Slytherin.  
While descending the stairs that led him to the dungeons, many people stared at his bright blue hair, some of them tittering.  
Once again, the calming effect of the potion was what prevented him from jinxing them all.  
When he arrived at destination, Potter was already standing there, looking all smug.  
He _hated_ when he did that.  
As soon as he saw his new hairdo, the Gryffindor laughed in his face.  
"Nice. The night sky colour suits you." He mocked.  
Harry had to admit, though, that his rival looked quite attractive like that.  
There was something about him that resembled one of those Rockstars Hermione had proudly showed him muggle pictures of one Summer.  
Harry would have never revealed this, but he had registered those images in his brain and had _used_ them in rather unconventional ways.  
He had never really liked girls up to that point in his life.  
He had tried dating Cho Chang, who had ended up being Cedric Diggory's exclusive girlfriend, and even Ron's sister, Ginny, but that hadn't worked, either.  
He gasped internally when he realised that he had just compared Draco Malfoy to a guy he had thought of in dirty ways.  
"Ah, here you are, Potter and Malfoy." Professor Snape's monotonous voice said, breaking Harry's trail of thoughts, thankfully. "Sorry to inform you that your hair colour can not be washed off, you'll need to cut it all, it's the only way." He said, addressing his star pupil.

* * *

Once in the Potions Office, the two boys were assigned a complete and thorough cleaning of the the teacher's supply jars, which turned out to be a very dirty job.  
"Thanks to you, freaking Potter, I have to scrape these disgusting containers, when I could have spent my afternoon training for Quidditch. And now I'm stuck with this stupid hair, I look like freaking pigmy puff!" Draco snorted.  
If there was an animal that he hated, it was a pigmy puff. They were too fluffy and cute and bright coloured, so looking like one greatly annoyed him.  
"Well, you're the one who said my mum banged Dumbledore!" Harry snapped back. "For your information, they're so close because they helped him in the defeat of Lord Voldemort. Oh, about him, I hear your garbage of a father was close friends with him. I wonder if that was the kind of friendship you accused my mother and the Headmaster to have."  
Draco felt the other boy's words pervade him like a burning rash.  
He had _not_ just insulted his father that way.  
That was what Harry must have felt, though.  
He probably deserved it, but the effect of the Calming Draught had just faded.  
"What did you just say?" He said, putting down the flask he was holding. He gave the Gryffindor his most tenacious death stare.  
Harry couldn't help grinning at that. "It burns, doesn't it? I'm glad you know how it feels now. Payback's a _bitch_."  
He didn't see it coming.  
In less than no time, the Slytherin grabbed him by his robe and pushed him violently on the wall.  
Harry winced in pain as his body hit the hard surface.  
He had never seen the pale boy like that, his face redder than a Weasley's hair, his nostrils flaring and his pupils dilated in utter fury.  
He was almost scary, but that oddly turned him on.  
He didn't know how many minutes had passed before he realised that they had been staring at each other, dead in the eyes, without saying a word.  
Only heavy breaths were audible.  
Draco's firm grip on the other boy's clothes wouldn't loosen. He could now smell his breath.  
It was a mixture of chocolate and vanilla, the fucker must have just received a treat from his loving parents.  
The grey eyed boy found that scent quite appealing, if anything.  
Harry moved his gaze down on Draco's lips. They were so pink and looked really , really soft.  
There was only one way to find out it they were actually liked that.  
Draco brought his mouth closer to the boy in his grasp's.  
He couldn't believe it, he was about to kiss someone he was supposed to hate.  
His heart began to race, his breath quickening...  
Harry had already closed his eyes when they were pulled apart abruptly.  
Snape had done it upon entering the room.  
"Getting into a physical argument, again? I can't deal with you two! That's it, I'm not leaving until you get the job done!" The professor shouted.  
So, for the rest of their detention, the two boys didn't dare exchange a look, they focused on their work only.  
During the whole cleaning process, Harry couldn't help thinking about what would have happened if the teacher had not interrupted them.  
They would have _kissed_. The other boy had leaned in.

* * *

That night, Draco lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling.  
He would have kissed bloody Potter, for goodness's sake.  
And from the looks of it, the douche wouldn't have minded too much, given he had his eyes closed.  
What could have pushed him to carry on with such an outraging act?  
Probably, it was the fact that he had liked him in secret for as long as he could remember.  
The first time he had seen him, he had been electrified by his beautiful, emerald green eyes.  
But he had to be mean to him, otherwise his parents would have definitely disowned him.  
Him being a bully wasn't only a way to make his parents proud, it was always his way of standing out, to get attention, as he wouldn't always be considered too much in his home.  
He was becoming tired of being the bad guy, though.  
Was he really going to rebel against his own family?  
 _I must have gone completely mad_ , he thought, _if I'm having these thoughts because I have blue hair._

* * *

Harry wasn't having much luck in trying to sleep, either. He had thought about sodding Malfoy in that way. His wildest fantasies usually consisted of him killing the jerk in the most excruciating way possible... yet, a muggle singer looking hairdo had hit him like a ton of blocks.

That hadn't been the only trait he had appreciated.

The image of Draco's silvery eyes wouldn't leave his brain, when had that boy's eyes become so gorgeous?

His own thoughts disturbed him to an extent.

Draco Malfoy was his most dreaded enemy, he had been from day one.

Day two, to be completely exact.

The first time he had seen him, he was nice, talkative, had an interesting life story...

But then, again, that had been five years before.

Harry blamed his parents for his intense hatred for that guy and the subsequent formation of a nemesis.

The Gryffindor put his pillow on his own head and groaned in frustration.

If his mother and father had not ordered him to despise Draco, perhaps he would have been his friend for a long time. Or, God forbid he should even consider this option, his _boyfriend_.

He hadn't been the only one participating in that missed kiss.

Did that mean that the other boy actually liked him and his maltreatment had only been a defense mechanism in order to conceal his true feelings?

His mother would often tell him about how she had become involved with his father and their relationship had not always been civil.

Lily used to find James very obnoxious, also he would often make fun of her.

She had finally come to the conclusion that he had behaved like that to get her attention, so that had been solely his way to tell her that he was interested in her.

Harry was beginning to associate his father's behaviour with Draco's and he didn't hate the idea.

In the weeks that followed, he was determined to end up in detention again with the Slytherin.

He would stage duels, call him names ... but he was always the only one who got in trouble.

His friends were beginning to suspect the nature behind his odd new behaviour.

Harry had never been one to provoke his rival, he was a model student, most of the time.

However, it wasn't unusual for him to want to spice it up a little, once in a while.

His family loved him deeply, that was a fact, but he often felt that they were a bit smothering.

Their protectiveness was too much to handle, sometimes, so he would find ways to break free from their chokehold. Breaking the rules was how he'd do it - but that wasn't too common.

"What is with you triggering Malfoy in such a childish manner?" Hermione asked, one day, as they were leaving the Greenhouse after Herbology, during which he had thrown a bean at Draco, which had culminated into a fight. Harry was particularly pleased with that, as it had worked into throwing the other boy in detention with him. "You really shouldn't play his game. He's not worth it!"

Harry had the answer ready. "I just want my revenge for all these miserable years he put me through." he said.

His friend seemed to take it into consideration. "Well, I suppose it feels good to give him a taste of his own medicine..."

Hermione had punched him in the face, once, and she had enjoyed it a lot.

"But you're sixteen, Harry. You shouldn't act like a child. Your parents wouldn't be proud if they knew of this. Five detentions in three weeks?" The girl gave him a look of pure disbelief.

If only she had known the true reason behind his acts. She probably would have not spoken to him again.


	4. Something More

Never, for the life of him, Harry could have possibly thought that he'd be looking forward to detention.  
But now, there he was, waiting outside the Greenhouse five minutes early for his punishment.  
When time came, he saw Professor Sprout in the distance. She was humming a tune as she trotted towards her beloved room.  
Draco was nowhere to be seen just yet.  
"Oh, not late, Potter? I'm impressed!" The teacher chirped contentedly as she approached.

She looked like she was in a very good mood.

It was probably due to the fact that Hufflepuff was in the lead for the House Cup.  
Harry had not really done his house mates a favour by earning all those detention slips. But it was still March, he had plenty of time to get back all the points he had lost.  
At least Slytherins weren't in the first place.  
His rival arrived minutes later, when Harry had already walked into the Greenhouse. He was putting on his gloves when he saw him. His hair has changed, but it hadn't gone back to its natural colour. He had totally used a growth potion on his head, so that now he was sporting his old platinum locks, just that the tips were still blue.  
Additionally, his hair was also quite long, almost shoulder length, which increased his resemblance to the muggle rockstars Harry found so hot.  
He stared for the whole time that the blonde boy with sky-like tips walked towards his post. The git obviously noticed, so he whipped his hair in response. The green eyed boy couldn't help blushing at that.  
Draco didn't look too excited at the idea of spending two full hours tending to misbehaving plants.  
"Well," the woman started, assuming a rather reprimanding expression. "For the next couple hours you will have to be very careful with these babies, they do spit a ticklish substance. I will be gone for the whole time - I feel it's more educational if I do. However, if you try to leave these premises, a spell will let me know, so don't bother trying. "  
"Don't worry, Professor. We won't move." Said the Gryffindor in a 'I promise' tone.  
The Slytherin simply nodded.  
Professor Sprout nodded back, then she quickly left the room.  
Now the two boys were alone in the Greenhouse. Awkward silence fell on them momentarily.  
Thar had never happened before, Draco Malfoy would never miss a chance to greet his enemy in such an annoying manner.  
But that was their first time being just the two of them since their almost-kiss accident.  
Harry finally broke the silence an excruciating ten minutes later, pointing out the other boy's 'bad Ravenclaw replica hair'.  
Draco looked up from the bulb in his hands to face his interlocutor. "At least it stays into place, unlike that bush of yours." He snapped, but his sass far too weak.  
The boy he had just tried to talk back at gasped silently. What had happened to the douche's meanest come backs?  
"That all you got, Malfoy?" He asked, looking astonished.  
Draco merely shot him a death stare in response. It was like he wasn't in the mood for a verbal fight. He looked almost sad.  
Harry felt something he had never felt for the other boy up to that point. It was like his guts didn't enjoy the sight of that boy looking and sounding upset, when only minutes before he looked like he was going to mount on his broom and fly away.  
Asking him how he was almost came instinctively to him.  
"Are you alright?" Harry asked, bluntly.  
The other boy surprisingly didn't kill him on the spot for placing that question. He sighed deeply.  
"It's just my family. They found out I've been in detention twice in two weeks and sent me a freaking howler."  
Draco looked back down, then he placed his vase on the table and started walking towards the boy opposite him.  
"It's just, they expect so much of me, it's so frustrating. Being an only child is the worst sometimes. You do one thing out of place and they lash out on you pretty heavily." He added.  
Yet another previously unknown feeling for Draco invaded Harry. He had compassion for him because he could relate so much.  
"I feel you. I guess parents don't understand how much pressure they're putting on us." He said.  
It was unbelievable. The two mortal enemies were having a civil conversation in that moment. Draco had to admit that it felt quite good to finally let out his frustrations regarding his life with the family he had.  
"Yeah, right! And, also, why do they want us to hate each other so much? I mean, don't tell me you didn't want to be my friend when we met." He blurted out, just like that. It was the truth, but it still sounded like something he would never say. He felt like he was on Veritaserum, he was slowly letting Harry in, as odd as it felt to him.  
The mop haired boy blinked a few times to make sure he was awake.  
"Exactly! I actually liked you - I can't believe I'm saying this. Well, at least before you started bullying people around." He stated.  
"That is my only way to stand out really. It may come as a shock to you, but I'm the bullied one at home." The other boy spoke.  
More and more shocking news perforated Harry's ears. Malfoy was bullied at home? His father wasn't really the kindest man to roam the planet, but he didn't think that a dominant personality like Draco's could ever be outdone by his.  
Also, he was opening up to him.  
Suddenly Harry was brought back to the the day they'd met, he remembered how excited they had been at the thought of a new friendship, how much they had in common... but it had all been ruined by their families.  
For years he'd thought that, maybe, his parents had in point, but in that moment he knew how wrong they had been all along.  
Draco was a Malfoy, but he was human, much more than his father.  
Somehow, as the minutes passed, the two boys found themselves talking about all of their issues with their families, how suffocating both factions were when imposing themselves on their children.  
Harry finally realised that it felt nice to spend time with that Slytherin boy, he was very fun to be around.  
He made a joke about one of the very much insufferable plants they were taking care of, which made the Gryffindor laugh out loud.  
He didn't care what his parents had to say anymore, he was sixteen and perfectly able to look out for himself, so he said something he'd never thought he'd say.  
"You know, you're not so bad, Malfoy." He grinned.  
The other boy met his gaze and smiled back at him.  
Those pearly eyes were Harry's weakness. They looked even more beautiful when turned to his direction.  
"I guess you're somewhat decent too, Potter. I'm surprised you didn't use my personal drama as a way to make fun of me." Draco said, now closer to Harry than ever. "You can be a good listener when you want to."  
"Something I certainly didn't learn from my father." The Potter boy replied, sighing.  
"I think not learning things from our fathers is the best thing. I mean, what have you ever done to me that I should hate you for? I say fuck it! Let's start again and be friends!" Said the blondish guy, extending his hand for the boy next to him to hold.  
Harry spent a few seconds staring at it, incredulous.  
Moments later, he shook that hand slowly, feeling fervent inside.  
"Besides, they don't need to know." Said Draco, shrugging.

For the weeks that followed, the two boys kept their newfound friendship a secret.

They would meet in hidden places to develop the bond that was growing between them or they would make it so they'd end up in detention together.

When in public, they would ignore each other.

Ron and Hermione, were starting to notice that something was up with their friend.

Harry was very evasive, wouldn't speak to them that much.

But, what they found the oddest was that he and Draco would always find ways to be punished at the same time.

Hermione had already raised the issue, but she'd brushed it off in the past.

Now, she was convinced that it was staged.

So, one morning, as the trio made their way to Potions, she voiced her concerns to her friend.

"So, I noticed that you made your detentions with Malfoy a legacy... care to explain?" as she said that, all three friends stopped walking.

Ron gave his best friend a questioning look. He was dying to know more about his mysterious rebellious behaviour.

Harry froze. His cheeks began to take on a bright shade of pink.

He thought of what a passable excuse might be. He had already said that he wanted some kind of revenge with him, but that had failed to explain why he would want to be in detention as well.

He couldn't tell them that he was actually becoming friends with him, also because he would have had to let them in on a dirty little secret- the fact that he was attracted to that Slytherin boy and was hoping that their relationship would be brought to the next level.

"I simply try to get him in trouble but I'm not sly enough so I get dragged into it as well."He said, shrugging. He wouldn't look them in the eyes, though.

His friends didn't look too convinced, but they probably didn't think he was lying.

It all finished with Hermione scolding him for his bad behaviour, telling him that he was contributing to Gryffindor being close to losing the house cup.

That same day, a Friday, they would be going to Hogsmeade.

However, Harry wasn't planning to spend it with his two best friends.

At some point during the day, when the three friends were enjoying a butterbeer in The Three Broomsticks, he excused himself and told them that he had to rush to the bathroom.

What he ended up doing, though, was sneaking to another bar in Hogsmeade, Madam Puddifoot's, where Draco was waiting for him.

The now fully blond boy smiled when he saw the other boy walking towards the table.

Harry thought that what had initially made him feel attracted to was only the blue, rockish hair- but he had been wrong.

He liked him anyway, even with his natural hair.

Once again, he was blushing.

Draco rose to his feet to greet him with a hand shake, which lasted longer than they'd predicted.

Not that they minded.

That turned out to feel a lot like a date. Both boys chatted and laughed, feeling utterly carefree and excited.

They didn't even give their drinks, which were two exceedingly sweet butterbeers, much attention- they were too busy contemplating and admiring the other, basking in each other's presence.

Something like twenty minutes late silence fell among them, but it wasn't awkward, this time. They both felt their breath caught up in their throats as they stared at each other, waiting for someone to make a move.

Harry felt a sudden urge to place his hand on top of the other boy's, so he did.

He'd expected Draco to swiftly remove his hand from his hold, but he didn't do that.

He simply gave him a bashful smile. They felt very comfortable in that moment, almost at home.

Harry wondered why it had taken them six years to realise such thing.

He didn't even know if Draco was actually gay or whatever, but he didn't really care. Maybe he had been for his whole life but he had never known because they had never talked to each other that much, except for when it came to taunting.

"Well," Draco's voice broke the silence. That made Harry snap out of his trance. "I need to use the loo." he announced in a rather suggestive tone, accompanied by a wink.

Harry nodded, then he let go of the Slytherin's hand so that he could get up.

He watched as the other boy sped to the the restroom, almost in awe.

He spent minutes wondering if he should follow him. After all, he had basically asked him to go after him. Not explicitly, but his voice and facial expression had given it away with ease.

He took a deep breath and thought of what a true Gryffindor would do.

People from his House were brave and adventurous and always ready to discover new things, but most of all they took their chances when they came to them.

Therefore, had he been a real Gryffindor, worthy of being called one, he would have done what he wanted to do more than anything in his life for the time being.

So, without further due, he stood up and made his way to the Men's toilet.

When he swung the door open he saw Draco washing his hands.

The Slytherin boy greeted him with a wide grin. "Ah, took you long enough!" He said while drying his hands with a spell.

Harry said nothing, he only walked closer to the boy in front of him and did what he had been dreaming to do for a while. He grabbed Draco's face in his hands and stood up on his tips to reach the other boy's height, then he kissed him.

He involuntarily raised a leg in the air as he did so.

Draco wasn't too surprised that he would do that. He had been expecting him to kiss him.

He had invited him to go to the toilet with him. It had taken him longer than he'd hoped but he had done it, so he couldn't feel happier.

 _At last_ , the voice in his head said.

He let that kiss take over him, he felt so good and the touch of the black haired boy's lips on his released a number of sparks of pleasure that pervaded his body whole.

That was his first real kiss, and it couldn't have been better.

He, too, took hold of the green eyed boy's face and caressed it as their kiss became more passionate.

Harry had never kissed a boy before, he mentally slapped himself for not doing that earlier.

It was so much better than doing it with a girl and it made him feel something other than merely physical pleasure.

When they parted nothing was said, only heavy breaths were audible.

Both boys were smiling uncontrollably, feeling ecstatic for their exploration of something new and exciting.


End file.
